A vets practice in Leamington has revealed its ambitions for growth – just five months after opening its doors. 

Pear Tree Vets in Cubbington Road was launched by friends Aisling McGrath and Katie Wain in March of this year and has already signed up around 700 clients and their 1,000 pets. 

Aisling and Katie had both previously worked for both smaller independent and larger corporate practices, but after becoming friends at the school gates, they decided to set up a local, community independent practice themselves. 

They started planning the business in 2024 and contacted the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce to ask for help. 

They were assigned to John Fitzgerald as a business adviser through the Warwickshire Business Start-Up programme.

The Start Up support forms part of the Business Growth Warwickshire programme. It is delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Warwickshire County Council. The programme is funded by UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Warwickshire County Council. 

John's business experience and his eye for marketing helped Aisling and Katie to move quickly towards a successful start. 

He helped them to develop a business plan, marketing strategies and tactics, and within a few months they secured premises in Cubbington Road. 

Aisling also attended courses on marketing and finance through the support and by March they were ready to open Pear Tree Vets, so named after the famous felled pear tree in Cubbington. 

Now, they have a team of nine and are planning to expand that with room in the building for more vets and more treatment areas. 

Katie said: "We wanted to offer a community vets where we can really get to know our clients and their pets and offer a genuine, personal service. 

"But, it was still a big leap for us both to start and run a business because there is so much to think about beyond the love and care you give to people and their pets. 

"Aisling got in touch with the Chamber and they were a really big help to us. John was great at looking into all of the opportunities for support. He really helped us to develop our business plan and look at the ways we market ourselves to the community. 

"People tend to only travel 15 minutes to a vets so it wasn't like we needed to tell the world we were here, but we needed the local community to understand what we're all about and what we were offering. 

"Aisling also undertook a couple of free courses that were on offer and in a very short space of time we'd secured the property we wanted and opened our doors in March. 

"It is going really well so far and we can already see opportunities to grow and bring in more vets and other staff to be able to serve even more people and their pets!" 

John Fitzgerald, business adviser at the Chamber, said: "It was great working with Aisling and Katie and I am so pleased to see what a successful start they've made. 

"Throughout the process, I was able to offer them guidance on developing their business plan, including marketing campaigns, strategies, and tactics, which increased their confidence and actions to move forward with a professional plan in place." 

Councillor Rob Howard, Portfolio Holder for Economy at Warwickshire County Council, said: "Business Start-Up is a valuable programme for new businesses, providing bespoke support to them develop their business plans and strategies and giving them the tools they need to support their launch. 

"Aisling and Katie are a great example of people who know their business and what they want to achieve, and with that extra support, guidance and training from the programme they are now building a successful and growing local veterinary practice." 

Joanne Randall, Strategic Economic Development Officer at Warwick District Council commented: "The District Council is pleased to lend its support to Pear Tree Vets and other fledgling businesses in our area through this excellent start-up programme. We are delighted to see the positive impact it is having and would encourage similar organisations to get in touch with the Chamber to find out about the specialist help that is available to them." 

To find out more about the programme and your businesses eligibility click here.